EVERGLADE KITENEWSLETTER

The Houdini of the heron family, the American Bittern is quite adept at doing the “Now you see me, now you don’t” act. This medium to large heron has a thick compact body of warm brown, buff and white feathers. Their heavily streaked neck and dagger-like straight and sharply pointed bill make them barely perceptible in marsh vegetation. Their short legs and slightly hunched posture also add to their unique camouflage or cryptic repertoire. Their eyes, which

are usually yellow throughout most of the year, turn orange during the breeding season.

The primary hunting strategy of these birds is stealth as they patiently stalk their quarry of fish, amphibians, crustaceans, reptiles, mammals and insects. When alarmed, they stand with their bills pointed straight up which, with their streaky neck plumage, helps to break up their outline against the reeds and sedges of the marsh. They typically inhabit dense freshwater marshes, often hunting along the edges, and are rarely seen in the open. They are mostly noticeable during the spring due to their odd booming calls, which sometimes sound like “gulps of a thirsty giant.” These calls are often heard at dusk and dawn.

We have both migratory and resident American Bitterns in Florida. Those that you see and hear during our spring and summer are year-round residents,

since birds from the northern states migrate during the fall to escape the oncoming freezing temperatures of winter and will have already been returning north in the spring. Wintering birds, although typically found in freshwater and sometimes brackish water marshes, may also forage in dry grasslands and other terrestrial habitats.

Photographers – please note that next month’s MARCH bird of the month is the LEAST BITTERN.

Monthly Newsletter for Audubon EvergladesVOL 58 | Issue 6 | February 2018

Photo: American Bittern © Paul Thomas 2006. All rights reserved.

Bird of the Month: American Bittern by Clive Pinnock

Photo: © Susan Faulkner Davis 2017. All rights reserved.

Photo: © Celecia Pinnock 2017. All rights reserved.1

TRIP KEYEFFORT/DIFFICULTY

DISTANCE

OTHERNew and/or unique trips

There is an associated cost

Advance registration required

Family-friendly

Handicap Accessible

Audubon Everglades member priority

Easy: Boardwalk or paved level surface; or birding mainly from bike / boat / auto

Moderate: Improved trail; dirt and uneven surfaces

Challenging: Improved or unimproved trail; uneven, rocky, and/or wet surfaces

Sitting /Driving: no walking required

Medium: 1-1.5 miles

Short: less than 1 mile Long: more than 1.5 miles

Always check the website calendar for details, registration links and last minute changes. Unless otherwise specified, trips are “Just Show Up.”

The following advance registration field trips in April will become available for online registration on their corresponding dates during the month of February, e.g., registration for the Apr 07 trip begins Feb 07.

UPCOMING TRIPSFEBRUARY 2018

03 SAT (7A-9A) Cypress Creek North (David Witmer) 03 SAT (7:30A-12P) STA-1E (Shorebird Survey) (Chuck Weber)

04 SUN (8A-11A) Riverbend Park (Ed Kawecki) 10 SAT (8A-4P) Everglades Day (19th Annual) 10 SAT (8A-12P) STA-2 (Shorebird Survey) (Brian Garrett) 10-11 SAT-SUN (ALL DAY) Viera Wetlands/Merritt Island

(Valleri Brauer) 14 WED (7:30A-11:30A) Loxahatchee NWR (Rick Schofield)

17 SAT (8A-10:30A) Peaceful Waters (Scott Zucker) 17 SAT (ALL DAY) Blue Cypress Lake (GBBC) (Rick Schofield) 18 SUN (7:30A-12P) STA-1E (GBBC) (Rick Schofield, coord.) 18 SUN (8A-10A) Snook Islands (GBBC) (Gael Silverblatt) 19 MON (7:30A-9:30A) Wakodahatchee (GBBC) (Paton White)

22 THU (4:30P-6:30P) Grassy Waters (Sunset Canoe Fly-in) (Cindy Bush) 24 SAT (8A-10A) Wakodahatchee (Chris Golia) 24 SAT (8:30A-12P) Kissimmee Prairie Preserve SP (Paul Gray) 25 SUN (6:30A-12P) Belle Glade/West County (Chuck Weber)

Meet at Costco for carpool.

07 SAT (6:15A-1P) Pelagic (SFAS) (Paddy Cunningham/Toe Torres) 07 SAT (7:30A-12P) STA-1E (Rick Schofield, coord.) 08 SUN (ALL DAY) Tigertail Beach / Marco Island (Rick Schofield) 14 SAT (3:30P-7P) Flamingo Quest (STA-2) (Chuck Weber) 15 SUN (ALL DAY) Everglades National Park (Mark Cook) 21 SAT (ALL DAY) Blue Cypress Lake (Rick Schofield) 28 SAT (3:30P-7P) Flamingo Quest (STA-2) (Susan McKemy, coord.)

APRIL 2018

Much of the conservation work on a regional basis of Audubon Everglades is done in conjunction with the Everglades Coalition, which consists of 62-member organizations committed to the protection and restoration of America’s Everglades. Your Audubon Everglades Board voted to sign on to the following items as part of our role in the Everglades Coalition:

1. C-43 Reservoir Resolution: to store clean water for release into the Caloosahatchee River in order to reduce salinity and nutrient levels.

2. EVCO Resolution CRC P 46: to revise the language of the Water and Land Conservation Amendment to be put on the 2018 Fl. General Election Ballot in order to provide more money annually for the purchase of conservation lands.

3. Letter to Agnes McLean: to support needed Modifications to Old Tamiami Trail to benefit Everglades National Park.

4. Letter to Governor on EAA Reservoir: to urge Gov. Scott to instruct the SFWMD to look at additional acreage available to achieve the best possible outcome for water quality and storage in the construction of EAA Reservoir mandated and funded by SB-10. The Everglades Foundation scientists have offered an alternative model, which the SFWMD has refused to test, that appears to be a better solution for removing harmful discharges for both the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries, as well as for sending more clean water into

Everglades National Park. Sen. Negron has agreed that this additional acreage is needed and has written the Governor and SFWMD.

Conservation VP, Scott Zucker, was the moderator of one of the break-out sessions for the Everglades Coalition’s annual meeting in January. Scott was invited in recognition of his outstanding work on behalf of the conservation efforts of Audubon Everglades. Congratulations, Scott!

We do not yet have our Christmas Bird Count final numbers. However, our wonderful coordinator, Chuck Weber, does not feel we got as many species as in recent years. Richard Crossley came to the compilation meeting and suggested we check our hummingbirds out very carefully since there are a number of hummers in the area that are not Ruby-throated. We did not have any rarities this year, but Linda Humphries has been seeing an uncountable but beautiful yellow-fronted canary at her feeder.

Citizen Science Project: Donna Molfetto, a PhD student, is seeking volunteers for her project - observing and assisting with the handling of South Florida Red-shouldered Hawk nests in urban environments. The birds are quite active this year; there’s plenty of work for volunteers to do and lots to learn! Contact Donna at dm528@cornell.edu.

Debbie Smith and I met for lunch at Field of Greens in West Palm Beach for her profile interview. As I discovered during our meeting, it was a fitting venue for this health-conscious woman. Debbie works out every other day and enjoys outdoor activities. She recently bought a new bike, a recumbent tricycle,

which she assured me moves quickly. She spent several years as an active member of the Pack & Paddle Club of West Palm Beach, which sponsors hiking, biking, paddling and snorkeling outings. For five years she was the club’s speaker chair.

Born in Gloversville, New York, Debbie moved to Los Angeles when she was six years old and then to Florida seven years later. She has lived in West Palm Beach since junior high school. She got her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Florida Atlantic University. Debbie taught for eleven years following college graduation, first in a Montessori school and then in Palm Beach County public schools, Kindergarten to 3rd grade. At that point she decided to try something new and went back to school, this time to Palm Beach Community College for an associate’s degree in paralegal studies.

PRESIDENT’S LETTER February 2018by Paton White

continued on page 5

Profile: Debbie Smith by Kristen Murtaugh

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Come hear Dr. Richard Raid present “Barn Owls – Nature’s Mousetrap.” His exciting presentation will provide insights about how barn owls provide a natural and non-poisonous rodent control measure for Florida’s valuable agriculture.

In accepting the Commissioner’s Agricultural Environmental Leadership Award, Dr. Raid recounted that, while volunteering at his child’s elementary school, he saw the need for agricultural awareness. So, he started Student SOAR -- Sharing Our Agricultural Roots -- a school gardening program. His passion for teaching and the outdoors inspires students and instills in them an appreciation of the importance of agriculture.

“My original intent was simply to establish some gardens at schools so that kids could actually see how vegetables are grown and where their food came from,” Raid said. “Agricultural awareness is very important to me.”

Never anticipating the overwhelming response from students and teachers, he quickly found the program

blossom beyond simple gardens. Now more than 70 schools throughout Florida have SOAR programs, most of which were established by Raid himself. Agricultural awareness promotes environmental awareness.

“We’ve earned awards because of Dr. Raid’s input,” said Kathy Picano, a teacher of gifted fifth-grade students at H.L. Johnson Elementary School in Royal Palm Beach. “My children have opened their eyes to the environment. They want to recycle. They want to help, and they also want to find out more about careers in botany, zoology and environmental studies. I have many in college now; they come back to visit, and they share that the majors they are pursuing are because of Dr. Raid.”

“I think it’s important that our youth -- our future voters, the people that are going to be making the decisions in this state -- have a connection to agriculture,” Raid said. “They need to realize its importance, not just from a food standpoint, but also from an environmental standpoint.”

Monthly MEETING and LECTURE: “Barn Owls – Nature’s Mousetrap”

FEB

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Dr. Richard Raid, Professor/Plant Pathologist and Manager of the Barn Owl Project, Everglades Research and Education Center, University of Florida

Tuesday, February 6, meeting & lecture 7PMMeeting and program are free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:30PM for light refreshments, in rooms 101 and 102 at FAU Pine Jog Environmental Education Center, 6301 Summit Blvd (near Jog Road) in West Palm Beach. We look forward to seeing you there!

Donations in memoriam2017 JANUARY - IN MEMORY OF CLAUDINE LAABS.Virginia Shaller

2017 DECEMBER – IN MEMORY OF MY MOTHER, LENA JACOBA WESSELS, WHO GAVE ME MY WINGS TO FLY, FROM HER LOVING DAUGHTER.Carol Shields

Other donations in memoriam since 2014 can be viewed online.Photo: Dr. Richard Raid and juvenile barn owl

by Gail Tomei

A tireless educator, he has volunteered thousands of hours. Working in the schools, with the Boy Scouts or the Audubon Society, it’s important to Raid to let people know that agriculture and the environment can not only co-exist, they benefit one another.

About Richard Raid:A native of Pennsylvania, Dr. Raid was hired as a plant pathologist at the University of Florida’s Everglades Research and Education Center in Belle Glade in 1986, where he has developed integrated strategies for managing plant diseases. A naturalist, Raid has actively promoted the use of barn owls for sustainable rodent control in the Everglades Agricultural Area, south of Lake Okeechobee. The program is known as the University of Florida Barn Owl Project and is responsible for some of the highest barn owl densities in North America. Capturing the attention and imagination of the public, Raid and his barn owls have been featured on PBS NATURE, CNN, and National Geographic’s webpage.

Dr Raid is a popular and captivating lecturer. We invite everyone to come enjoy this informative program!

Meeting and program are free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for light refreshments in rooms 101 and 102 at FAU Pine Jog Environmental Education Center, 6301 Summit Blvd (near Jog Road) in West Palm Beach. We look forward to seeing you there!

Also at the meeting, our expert, Clive Pinnock, will speak about the February Bird of the Month, American Bittern.

If you missed any of Audubon Everglades’ prior programs, you can view many of them online.

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FEB

10SPECIAL EVENT: 19th AnnualEverglades Day Festival

This year the theme is “Colors of the Everglades,” and the goal is to promote awareness, appreciation, and understanding of America’s Everglades

The festival will include wildlife presentations, canoeing, fishing demos, birds of prey, music, educational programs, guest speakers, presentations in Spanish, food trucks, interactive activities, LILA tours, and nature explorations. There will be over 30 exhibitors from agencies, clubs and non-profit organizations. A highlight will be Dr. Frank Ridgley from Zoo Miami, who will be speaking about flamingos at noon in the theater. A respected researcher on the status of the American Flamingo population, his flamingo paper will be coming out in March, so he will be giving our audience the latest information.

Visitors should park at the Southwest County Transfer Station of the Solid Waste Authority, which is 2 miles south of the Refuge entrance. There is a free shuttle to and from the Festival. The Broward JROTC will be sending 50 cadets from three high schools to assist with parking and tent set-up and take-down.

The Festival is handicap-accessible but persons needing reasonable additional accommodations to attend and participate should contact Serena Rinker at 561-735-6029 or serena_rinker@fws.gov. To allow sufficient time to process requests, please contact us for assistance by close of business Friday, February 2, 2018.

The Everglades Day Festival is coordinated by Serena Rinker at the Refuge and Sue Snyder of Audubon Everglades. Come enjoy this exciting and educational special event!

Check out a visual preview of this UNIQUE free event at the Palm Beaches tourism bureau website.

For more information, call 561-734-8303. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to providing access to the Everglades Day Festival for all participants.

NOTE: To print an Everglades Day flyer, go to page 8.

The Festival, co-sponsored by Audubon Everglades, will be held at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge at 10216 Lee Road, Boynton Beach -- off State Road 7/US 441, 2 miles south of Boynton Beach Blvd and 3 miles north of Atlantic Ave.

Saturday,February 10, 8am-4pm by Sue Snyder

and Paton White

Audubon Everglades Board Member Marcia Yeip helps an excited young birder search for birds during this year’s inaugural Christmas Bird Count for Kids at ARM Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge on Dec. 30, 2017. Audubon Everglades’ Scott Zucker and Mary Young worked with the Refuge’s Veronica Kelly to

plan and organize this well attended event enjoyed by all.

UPCOMINGCOMMUNITYEVENTSMake sure to stop by our table at these upcoming community events:

Feb 17 Sat. 9am-5pm. 13th Annual Lake Worth Festival of Trees at the Cultural Plaza, 414 Lake Avenue, across the street from the Public Library. Click here for flyer. (Debbie Smith Outreach@AudubonEverglades.org).

Feb 24 Sun. 9am-4pm. Gumbo Limbo Sea Turtle Day Festival 2018, Boca Raton. (Debbie Smith Outreach@AudubonEverglades.org).

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Photo: Audubon Everglade Photography Club workshop attendees listen closely to Dr. Pete Lekos’ secrets and tips for improving their photos.

AUDUBON EVERGLADES PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB RETURNS TO THE CLASSROOM32 excited photographers attended our January 15th special two-hour, two-part workshop program, “Stop Taking Snap Shots and Start Taking Great Shots” and “Secrets of Post Processing,” presented by club president, Dr. Pete Lekos. During the first hour of the program, participants learned the secrets to achieving ideal exposure, sharpness, color balance, composition and lighting - some of the elements that make a great photo.

After a short break in which all indulged in the wonderful refreshments provided by Joanne Marchetto, participants learned Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom post processing tricks. Pete showed the group how to crop for better composition, as well as how to burn, dodge, clone, cut and paste, and use plug in filters.

Our February 26 monthly program [4th Monday of the month] will feature two friendly club competitions open to both novice and advanced photographers: Macro Nature Photography and Open Nature. The competition will be judged by award winning photographer and President of the Wycliffe Photography Club, Steven Roth, who recently graced our club on January 22 with his informative and practical program, “How to make a Coffee Table Book with your Great Images.”

Please join us at our next meeting or outing and make your photography more rewarding and enjoyable.

Club meetings begin at 7 PM at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church, 1925 Birkdale Drive, Wellington FL 33414

For more information please contact Dr. Pete Lekos: PhotographyGroup@auduboneverglades.org 201-600-6463 or visit us online.

Debbie has been working as a paralegal for 23 years. She is currently at the law firm of Slusher and Rosenbloom in West Palm Beach. She does research and writes pleadings in the areas of contract and family law. Her career in law has been rewarding. She enjoys research of any kind. She learns something new and interesting every day. I asked if she missed teaching, and she told me that she finds that she is teaching all the time - the associates she works with and the children who participate in her Audubon

Debbie continued from page 2 volunteer activities. Once a teacher, always a teacher.

Debbie grew up in a family that enjoyed nature. Her mother and grandfather were especially encouraging. She and her two younger brothers loved hiking and being outdoors. The family had bird feeders, and Debbie remembers being always interested in watching birds. She has bird feeders in her yard in WPB and is particularly enchanted by the group of eight (!) Painted Buntings that visit every year. Her other favorite bird is the American Flamingo, and

she has enjoyed being able to see them on Audubon Everglades STA-2 trips. She was thrilled to see a pair mating there about two years ago.

Debbie has been involved with Audubon Everglades since the late 1990s. At the third meeting she attended, she met then president Leah Shad and volunteered to help. She quickly became in charge of handling memberships. A year and a half later Susan Snyder and Linda Humphries suggested that she would be a natural for outreach. So, Debbie was brought on to the Board and put in charge of Community Outreach. Her volunteer service includes attending lots of nature-related festivals around the county, especially in Lake Worth, where she sets up information booths and activities and games for children. She ticked off several festivals she will be working in February: the Lake Worth Tree Festival, Turtle Day at Gumbo Limbo, Everglades Day at the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, and in April, Earth Day in Lake Worth. She would like to see more Audubon Everglades members volunteer time to these activities, so she is pleased that the Board has approved the setting up this year of a Community Outreach Committee to encourage member participation. Debbie particularly praised the work that our current president Paton White and our past president Linda Humphries have done to encourage partnerships with community groups and get the word out about Audubon Everglades.

When she isn’t working at the law firm, riding her bike, or volunteering for Audubon Everglades, Debbie dabbles in art. She likes to do pen and ink drawing of plants and other natural subjects. When we spoke, she was looking forward to taking a class in glass blowing at the Benzaiten Center for the Creative Arts. She had won two passes at a raffle and her brother, who is a commercial artist, was coming down to join her at the class. Debbie’s interest in art is strong. She came close to choosing art as her college major instead of education.

If my math is correct, Debbie has been a dedicated member of Audubon Everglades for twenty-some years! She has seen the organization grow exponentially, and she has played an important part in that growth, first in her work handling memberships and now in her work in community outreach. Thank you, Debbie! I encourage members to join the new Community Outreach Committee. Help Debbie set up event tables with information about the mission and programs of Audubon Everglades and plan games and activities for children at the events (e.g., making peanut butter pinecones on Earth Day). It all sounds like fun!

by Scott Zucker

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The 60-day 2018 Florida Legislative session is under-way, and what follows are some important bills and resolutions that Audubon Florida and/or Audubon Everglades view as legislative conservation priorities. Let your representatives in Tallahassee know how you feel about these critical conservation issues.

1. Senate Bill 370 (SB 370) and House Bill 1353 (HB 1353) provide $100 million to Florida Forever, our state’s signature land conservation program. The program has received almost no funding since 2008. This trend is expected to continue and, according to projections, 33% of all undeveloped state land will be developed by 2070, unless land is protected and coun-ties increase development densities. 2. Senate Bill 1402 (SB 1402) and House Bill 7043 (HB 7043) would pave the way for the Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) to receive delegation

of the federal EPA’s Clean Water Act 404 dredge and fill permitting program. This move would delegate certain permitting authority to DEP for dredge and fill activities previously permitted only by the federal government. Changes to environmental permitting may significantly impact wetlands and other import-ant bird habitats. Coastal Wetlands help to blunt the force of major storms, and, in general, local wetlands are nature’s kidneys, since they purify and filter water and provide breeding and nursing habitat for birds, fish and mammals. 3. House Resolution 319 (HR 319) and Senate Res-olution 550 (SR 550) support an extension of the current moratorium on oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico east of the Military Mission Line. Offshore oil wells are a threat to sea life, including sea birds, whales, dolphins, and sea turtles, as well as the life and livelihoods of Floridians in coastal communities.

4. Senate Bill 574 (SB 574) and House Bill 521 (HB 521) would prohibit or severely limit municipalities from protecting trees with local tree ordinances. Local tree protection not only preserves the aesthetic char-acter of our communities, but provides protection for our urban forests, which provide essential habitat for migrant and resident birds, protect unban air quality, and reduce the “heat island” effect of paved urban areas.

5. Senate Bill 462 (SB 462) and House Bill 237 (HB 237) would ban “advanced well stimulation tech-niques” (fracking) statewide, and Senate Bill 834 (SB 834) would ban fracking and fine violators $50,000 per day. Multiple studies have found that fracking, which employs large amounts of freshwater and a cocktail of toxic chemicals to extract oil and gas, leaks into Florida aquifers, threatening our water.

The Lowdown on 2018 Audubon Everglades Conservation Legislation Priorities

How to Communicate with your Local Elected Officials

by Scott Zucker

by Scott Zucker

Photo: Scott Zucker of Audubon Everglades moderating a panel on Power of Grassroots to Influence Growth Decision Makers at the Everglades Coalition Conference. Panelist seated from Left to right are Holly Schwartz, Richard Grosso, Laura Reynolds, Celeste De Palma and Commissioner Emily Bonilla.

While the most effective to way to influence your local elected officials is to meet with them in person, calling or emailing them is your next best option. Here are some instructions if you’re calling or emailing.

1. Find the names of your local district Florida Legis-lators. If you don’t know who they are, check your voter registration card to find out your district, then go to one of the following pages: Palm Beach County State Senators & House of Representatives. or local Palm Beach County elected officials.

2. Call or email your voting district Legislators. (Note that, if calling, you will likely get an answering message or a legislative aide.

3. State your name and that you are a homeowner and constituent within their district.

4. State the bill number (legislation) that you are call-ing or writing about, and tell your legislators how you would like them to vote (for or against the bill). It’s helpful to give a few brief reasons why the issue you’re addressing is important to you and to the legislators’ hometown district. There may not be

time to do that in a phone call, but your call for or against a bill will still be important. It’s most effec-tive to call or write about one bill at a time, but you can mention more than one, if your time is limited.

5. Keep your tone positive and thank whomever you’re writing or speaking to for their time.

6. Communicating with your legislators and poten-tially making a difference is that easy!.

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REMINDER: memberships expired 12/31/17. Renew your membership either online with PayPal or use the form below and mail your check.

There are two ways to join Audubon Everglades:

CHAPTER-ONLY MEMBERSHIP: An annual membership that starts on January 1 and runs through the calendar year. All your membership dues are put to use supporting local conservation projects and educational programs. You receive 12 issues of the Kite newsletter and priority for some special trips and events.

NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP: includes membership in Florida Audubon and Audubon Everglades plus one year of the Audubon magazine. Join online at Audubon.org by selecting JOIN. Or send a check for $20 per person along with your address and email to National Audubon Society, PO Box 97194, Washington DC 20090-7194.

The Audubon Everglades Kite newsletter is available by email only.

Yes, I want to become a chapter-only member of Audubon Everglades. Join now using a credit card: Go to AudubonEverglades.org/membership to complete the application.

Or, complete this form and mail your check to: Audubon Society of the Everglades, PO Box 16914, West Palm Beach, Florida 33416-6914

Please check one: $25 (Regular) $20 (Student) $20 (Senior) $35 (Household*) $75 (Patron*)

Please accept my additional contribution of $__________________________________________

Name __________________________________________________________________

Email _________________________________________________________________

Phone __________________________________________________________________

Address _________________________________________________________________

City ____________________________________________________________________

State _______________________________________ ZIP ________________________

Household/Patron Additional Names _______________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

JOIN AUDUBON MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

*If you selected Household or Patron Membership, please provide the names of all members living at the same address. (2 adults and children under age 18)

Photo: Celeste De Palma of Audubon Florida receiving the George Barley Conservationist of the Year Award for her work in preserving Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge from the Everglades Coalition Co-chairs Mark Perry (left) and Mike

Baldwin (right). Scott Zucker of Audubon Everglades had just provided the introduction.Photo: Scott Zucker of Audubon Everglades ap-plauding after having provided the introduction for Celeste De Palma, who received the George

Barley Conservationist of the Year Award from the Everglades Coalition for her work in preserving

Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.

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